UPDATE 2-CN Rail threatens to lock out union in bid to force deal

TORONTO Feb 20 (Reuters) - Canadian National Railway Co
said on Friday that barring a settlement by this
weekend with Unifor, a union that represents 4,800 of its
mechanical, clerical and intermodal staff, it plans to begin to
lock out employees on Monday.

In a post on its official Twitter account, the union called
for CN Rail to "get back to the bargaining table," while the
company responded on the social media platform by urging "union
leadership to sit down & negotiate a deal this weekend."

Protracted contract talks between CN Rail and Unifor are at
an impasse, and the union said on Thursday it planned to proceed
with a vote to strike.

Unifor made the decision after CN on Wednesday said it would
unilaterally alter a labor pact covering staff represented by
Unifor if a new accord was not agreed by Feb. 20.

The union has balked at a government-mandated arbitration
process, saying it would not accept government interference in
its contract talks with the country's No. 1 railroad operator.

CN said it will exercise its right under the Canada Labour
Code to lock out Unifor members effective 11 p.m. EST on Monday,
Feb. 23.

The company also said it would deploy its labor disruption
contingency plan, with trained management personnel performing
the work of Unifor members, in order to protect service to its
customers to the best of our ability.
(Reporting by Euan Rocha, editing by G Crosse, Bernard Orr)